For 13 years Marie Gesto's murder has haunted Det. Harry Bosch. Then, out of the blue, serial killer Raynard Waits confesses to the crime as part of a plea deal. Bosch, working in the L.A.P.D.'s Open-Unsolved Unit, doesn't believe him for a second, and when Waits escapes he gives chase, all the while trying to prove that the confession was a setup to save a rich man's hide.

Connelly's measured prose moves the plot along quickly in protagonist Bosch's 12th appearance. The story does lapse into implausibility when murderer Waits turns into a superthug who, even while chained and unarmed, can instantly mastermind an escape. But Echo Park recovers quickly, delivering all the punch of a compelling, suspenseful thriller.